This invention generally relates to a portable television camera, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a shouldering aid or supporter for carrying a portable television camera on a human's shoulder so as to perform stable shooting.
As video tape recorders have been popularized, portable television cameras for household use are becoming popular. Recent portable television cameras are small in size and light in weight so that they are as handy as customary eight-millimeter movie cameras. However, it is to be noted that there is a great difference in usage between television cameras and eight-millimeter cameras. Namely, in contrast to the short filming interval, such as several minutes, of eight-millimeter movie cameras, the maximum shooting interval of television cameras is two to six hours depending on the length and reeling speed of the video tape. When a user performs an extended shooting shooting, by gripping a hand grip of the portable television camera, he will become tired and stable shooting is thus made difficult. Some large size video cameras, therefore, have a shouldering aid or supporter, so that the camera can be carried on user's shoulder. However, these conventional large size television cameras are not handy because they have been originally designed to be carried on user's shoulder. Summarizing the prior art, although there have been some large size television cameras with a shouldering aid, such a conventional shouldering aid cannot be detached from the body of the camera. Therefore, such large size cameras do not have mobility, while small size portable television cameras do not have any shouldering aid. In other words, conventional portable television cameras could be used by gripping the hand grip thereof or by mounting the camera body on a stationary tripod.